Finding the geek in every woman

So I haven’t blogged on here in almost a year. I figured that before I celebrate the 1 year anniversary of not blogging on MadamGeek, I better put something on here.

I must confess that I have been inspired by a very special group of young people. We call them the GROW Recruits. Two weeks ago my colleague Monique from the famous She’s the Geek did a training session with these GROW Recruits. The topic was a bit confusing to them as we titled it: Are you a…?

During this session we asked them to discuss 4 points. As females I do think being controversial and eccentric helps the male species stay on their toes. So the controversial question we posed to these recruits was: “Are men better web designers than females?”

Of course the recruits were polite at first. But once the conversation started their opinions were expressed in various forms. But for the record: no objects were thrown about the room or at anyone in particular, except for words. I have my own opinion on this and had to bite my tongue each time one of the young men said: “Of course men are better, just look at the history of web designers!” But the girls really made us proud by answering or sharing their opinion in a civilized and lady like manner.

After the 6 Phase GROW Bootcamp it became quite evident that the female male ratio in numbers and active participation is leaning quite favorably to the female participants in the GROW Bootcamp. Well done ladies! You have stayed strong and committed.

I haven’t blogged in ages. Can’t believe that one can be so interested in or passionate about something for a while and then ‘poof’ just like that it’s gone. But thank goodness we can choose.

Well I guess that’s human nature and as we know there are only 2 constant things in life and that is – Change and Death.

As I’m definitely not dead yet change is inevitable and no amount of resistance can stop change.

So why not just embrace it with all the tenacity and fierce we would naturally use to fight it? Over the past couple of weeks I have met various women and have had countless conversations whether in a group or one on one. And one thing that stood out for me each time is that God knew what He was doing when He created women. Our ability to love, share, accept, give, forgive, be vulnerable and strong at the same time, care, support, nurture, empathize and feel and hold everything at once is truly God’s creation. So how can we not love and appreciate each other? One thing we all have in common as women is that we are all women.

So I would like to salute all the women, regardless of age. Even the young girls turning into ladies: the potential locked inside of you and emerging slowly as you grow into women is evident and not to be looked down on or taken for granted. No one is a mistake and is placed on the earth or at a specific place for nothing. We all have a purpose and destiny. And as we continue to love, care, support, share, give, forgive, accept, empathize and be vulnerable we will embrace life and all she has to offer.

They say ‘all good things must come to an end’! Saturday past was the last class for Geeky Moms and Mom 4.0 at the RLabs Academy. The morning was filled with laughter and many tears. 2011 was the first year RLabs ran training under the Academy. As both Monique (co-founder of She’s the Geek) and I are very passionate about empowering women and technology equally, that it made absolute sense for us to facilitate the Saturday morning sessions with the women at the RLabsRLabs Academy. It has been an interesting and most fulfilling journey we have embarked on yet. My favorite part of this year has been watching the women find their inner geek! So finding the geek in every woman is most definitely possible.

The Vote for Table Mountain campaign is empowering underprivileged communities in and around Cape Town by providing a platform to learn about the Internet.

The campaign has generated just under 2500 new email accounts and organisers estimate that by 11/11/11, the date that voting for the New 7 Wonders of Nature closes, the campaign will have introduced 5400 learners to email and opened their eyes to the power of the Internet.

The campaign organisers have teamed up with Reconstructed Living Lab (RLabs), a non-profit organization that equips and empowers communities through technology, and together they are visiting schools and institutions in underprivileged communities and allowing them the use of laptops and Internet access.

Thereafter learners are shown how to vote online for the New 7 Wonders of Nature so that they too can be part of the global election to choose the world’s most wondrous natural sites.

Table Mountain is one of only 28 sites on the planet shortlisted to be named one of the Official New7Wonders of Nature, a contest which aims to attract more than 1 billion votes worldwide.

Each lesson involves students receiving a crash course on the Web and how it works, as well as an explanation of what an e-mail is and why people need an account. Thereafter, RLabs informs students about the Vote for Table Mountain campaign, as well as the other New7Wonders contestants and their countries. Their first interaction on the Web is voting for Table Mountain, allowing them to walk away with an e-mail address and a vote.

Rene Parker, Director of RLabs says: “This group effort has changed the landscape when it comes to youth being introduced to new technologies. This has been achieved with the shared partnership between the Vote for Table Mountain Campaign and RLabs.”

To date, RLabs has done 24 sessions in the Western Cape, tallying 3231 votes and creating 2460 new e-mail accounts in the process. With 4 sessions planned per week until voting closes on 11/11/11, they will amass an estimated 7000 votes in total for the campaign.

And in a show of true activism for the Vote for Table Mountain campaign, Whizz ICT Centre, headed by Tembinkosi Qondela, have also made a significant contribution by turning their facility in Khayelitsha into a voting station. This has allowed many Khayelitsha residents, and learners from schools including Nolungile Primary, to create their own e-mail accounts and become familiar with the Internet and vote online for free.

“The Outreach programs are an integral part of the Vote for Table Mountain campaign that enables us to leave a positive legacy behind,” said New7Wonders Campaign Manager Fiona Furey. “RLabs and Whizz are helping us reach the youth who do not have Internet access. When Table Mountain is one of the 7 Wonders of Nature (God willing) they will have a sense of ownership, knowing it is because they voted and made it happen.”

Table Mountain has a great chance of making it into the final 7, but the public need to continue voting as there are only a few weeks of the competition left.

To vote for Table Mountain SMS “Table” to 34874 at R2 an SMS, or visit http://www.votefortablemountain.com, or vote via Mxit for only 20 cents. If you vote via SMS or Mxit, you can vote as many times as you like!

This has been an exciting week thus far. We are all out in Khayelitsha with the GROW Academy at the Bootcamp. The ‘recruits’ as they are called are quite excited and very interested in what they are being taught this week.

Today we have the experts from Woothemes showing the recruits how to get signed up onto WordPress. I have never seen so many smiley faces (actual smiles on faces) when the recruits realised that they were being taught by the best in the business of Web Design and Development.

I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I haven’t blogged in a few months. But sometimes you have to be a big girl and deal with it. So tonight I came out of hibernation.

My husband has been away for over 2 weeks in Malaysia and I have injured my back, so have been seeing a physiotherapist for the past week. Besides being in physical pain, I have been missing my husband terribly. It seems that whenever I am sick and need a pick me up, he knows just what this girl needs. On his arrival back home this evening, I prepared a romantic dinner with place settings and all. And anyone that knows me knows that cooking is not my favorite past time. I thought I was the one to surprise him, but I should have known that he would have something (well maybe a couple of things) up his sleeve.

I’m sure normal husbands find giving their wives perfume, bags, shoes and other girly items romantic. But fortunately I have become an Apple junkie purely because my husband finds showering me with gadgets romantic. So first up besides the perfumes, shoes and bag he brought back from Malaysia he takes out an iPhone 4 as one of my get well gifts. Of course I’m speechless as we have been discussing getting me one in South Africa but our local branches hasn’t had stock in a while and I was quite content with my old iPhone 3 as it was his Valentines gift to me last year. And I’m quite sentimental and love keeping and holding onto gifts. So I say: “thank you my angel, but you didn’t have to” even though deep down I’m ecstatic to say the least. So while I’m taking it out of the box, he watches me and oooohs and aaaahs just as much as I do. So after discovering that the look and feel of the iPhone 4 is definitely more masculine than it’s predecessor it’s still got that sleekness and style that only Apple can manage (yes I know I am biased).

Then after a few minutes of me thinking that I don’t remember my back pain quite so strongly, out comes another box and this time it’s none other than the iPad 2. If I thought I was speechless with the phone I had and still have no words to describe my reaction. When I asked what’s this for he says: “knowing what a woman wants is easy and so is taking care of her needs but knowing her desires is a whole other ball game”. I have to admit I didn’t see that one coming. But it’s not polite to look a gift horse in it’s mouth, or so I’ve heard. Now I already have a iPad, which was last years birthday present from my husband. The iPad 2 is slimmer and comes with 2 cameras. And I must say it looks a little girly, which I love!

So what does a girl do with 2 iPhones and 2 iPads? Theres a saying that goes: out with the old and in with the new. For the 2 older devices I will find them a good home, someone to love them and cherish them. And my new toys, well let’s play girls!

I almost forgot to say that we never got to the romantic dinner I so lovingly prepared, as I haven’t stopped playing with my new toys and my poor husband was so jet lagged that he fell asleep while still asking me when are we going to having dinner 🙂 I’m logging off now to go put the food away and pack up the place settings. If the dinner is not too dried out we can try again tomorrow. I wish there was an App for keeping food fresh…